Crescent-News.com - St. Henry woman sings her way to pageant crown

By DARLENE PRINCE

prince@crescent-news.com

Tall and blonde with an ocean of talent, Erica Gelhaus of St. Henry proved to be a double winner as she blew away the audience and the judges with her tremendous voice and her natural poise in capturing the Miss Northwestern Ohio 2008 crown Saturday night.

In addition to the $1,500 scholarship from the pageant, Gelhaus, 20, also won the talent award and the traditional silver bowl from the Fort Defiance Players for her rendition of the operatic aria, "Saper Vorreste." She also received $200 from pageant member Jim Estep.

Two area contestants -- Lauren Hogan of Napoleon and Whitney Fricke of Archbold -- were third- and fourth-runners-up, respectively.

The 32nd Miss Northwestern Ohio Scholarship Pageant was held in the Defiance Community Auditorium with 10 contestants competing for the title.

Winning first runner-up and a $500 scholarship was Danielle (Dani) Bash, 19, Findlay. Second runner-up was Jillian Dansko, 22, Seven Hills, who received a $400 scholarship. The third runner-up, Hogan, received a $300 scholarship and the fourth runner-up, Fricke, was given a $200 scholarship.

Looking somewhat dazzled by her victory, Gelhaus said, "This is such a great pageant. I am so happy and excited to become a representative in the Miss Ohio pageant. I have been preparing for this."

Gelhaus will compete in the Miss Ohio pageant next June in Mansfield and, if she wins the state crown, in the Miss America pageant on Jan. 26, 2009, at Las Vegas Hollywood Planet.

The Miss America pageant for 2008 will be shown on Channel TLC -- the Learning Channel on Jan. 26, 2008.

The other contestants in the local pageant will receive a scholarship award. They are: Brandy Drain, 18, and Tiffany Westfall, 18, both of Liberty Center; Sylvia Macias, 17, West Unity; Brittany Taylor, 17, Hicksville; and Susan Downing, 21, Plymouth, N.H.

Additionally, Northwest State Community College offered a $750, tuition-only scholarship to the winner and a $500 tuition-only scholarship to the first runner-up.

This year's Charles Perkins Award winner was Janice Johansen, a pageant volunteer. The Miss Northwestern Ohio Scholarship Pageant committee gives this award every year for outstanding services donated by an individual to the pageant. The award was named after Charles Perkins, the first director of the pageant.

The theme for this year's pageant was "Cruisin' to the Crown" -- rock 'n' roll music with the dance numbers "Pink Cadillac" and "Route 66" being performed by the Defiance Dance Studio Dancers.

As usual, the music and dancing was excellent, with the crowd roaring its approval of the number, "Route 66." The audience also enjoyed the ballet the dancers performed to the well-known song, "If," which was sung by the Defiance High School Varsity Blues swing choir.

Other performances the audience enjoyed included the country song, "Ain't No Other Man," performed by Miss Northwestern Ohio 2007 Becky Minger; the harp performance by first runner-up Danielle Bash; and the song, "Orange-Colored Sky," by fourth runner-up Whitney Fricke.

Although Minger relinquished her crown Saturday night, she was recently chosen Miss Maumee and will go on to compete in the Miss Ohio pageant in 2008 with that title.

Handling the master of ceremonies duties was veteran performer Mark Schnitkey along with Minger.